Afterlife
by FoREVer Nightwing
Summary: A collection of stories inspired by songs by Avenged Sevenfold. Ranges from tradgedy to family. Chapter 2- Waking the Fallen: "We need to find the Entity to win this war."
1. Afterlife

**A/N: I put a lot of though into this... pfft, just kidding. This is a collection of Young Justice fics (well, that part should be obvious) inspired by Avenged Sevenfold music. It ranges from character death (which, if you've seen my favourites, you know I love) to family to whatever the hell I think of when listening to one of my favourite bands.**

**This fic is inspired by _Afterlife_.**

**Warnings: Character deaths, slight to OOC-ness**

* * *

**Afterlife**

Now that he thinks about it, he sees how obvious the trap was.

Super villains didn't work together for some stupid reason. They wanted to get something out of it. In this case, they wanted the deaths of the Justice League… but they didn't get that. They got something that was far better than the deaths of the world's finest superheroes.

When the Justice League arrived to where Robin's S.O.S. signal came from, they were shocked- no, disgusted- at what they saw.

There are bloodstains on the floor and walls. The building looked ready to collapse, with large holes in the walls and ceiling. Tables were smashed, windows were broken, and various weapons littered the floor.

That wasn't even the worse part.

They see Kid Flash, frozen with a look of pure terror in his eyes. Flash is trying to get his nephew out, but they all know it's a lost cause.

When Flash gets Kid Flash out of the ice, he tries to find a pulse. He doesn't want to believe that his nephew was gone.

_Oh God… what am I going to tell his parents? What am I going to tell Iris?_

"Barry… he's gone." Wonder Woman said.

Martian Manhunter and Aquaman see Miss Martian and Aqualad not too far from Wally… or, what was left of them.

Their remains were charred, nothing but ash and bone.

For Martian Manhunter, it felt like he saw his family die once again. If only he could've done something. If he could have just arrived sooner, maybe his niece would still be alive.

Aquaman had tears in his eyes. He thought of Kaldur as a son. He doesn't want to believe that his apprentice is gone.

In a large crater just a few yards away, Superboy had three large shards of Kryptonite sticking out of his chest. Superman went to him, ignoring the pain he felt. He tore the shards out and threw them as far as he could.

He didn't even get the chance to spend more time with him. They only started to get along a few months ago. That wasn't enough time to get to know the boy he began to think of as a son. That wasn't enough time to make up for ignoring him for several months before.

As Superman mourns his son, Doctor Fate glides to Zatanna.

Though it can't be seen behind the helm, the League knows Zatara is in there, mourning the loss of his daughter. That was the whole reason he became Fate- so he wouldn't lose her.

Not too far from Doctor Fate, Icon sees Rocket with a sword through her chest. He'd never hear Raquel's cocky remarks. He'd never see that look of pure joy from kicking some super villain's ass.

Artemis wasn't too far away. She had several arrows sticking out of her back. Her face was contorted in pain.

Green Arrow is wondering what he'll tell Paula. He knows she won't forgive him for her daughter's death. Tears are in his eyes, and Black Canary, also teary-eyed, places a hand on his shoulder. She says nothing, knowing it won't help.

Batman looks around for his protégé. He's hoping to whatever God that's listening that Robin is alive.

Then he sees him.

Robin's cape was tattered, his shirt had been cut open, and hid utility belt was missing. The white lenses on his domino mask were shattered, revealing pain-filled blue eyes. He had deep cuts all across his small body. The boy was shivering.

He was alive…

"B-batman…" Robin said in a voice that even Superman would have a hard time hearing.

"You're going to be fine." Batman said, "We'll get you out of here."

"The ot-others… th-they're d-d-dead, a-are't th-they?"

Batman nodded.

"…Just like… just like wh-when mom a-and dad d-died…" he whimpered.

"Robin… Richard, stop talking. Save your strength." Batman said, pulling the boy closer to his chest.

"…I'm s-sorry…" Dick said.

"Sorry for what, Dick?" Batman asked.

"I s-should've… seen t-this coming… should've… s-should've…"

The boy closed his eyes, his breathing ceased, and his heart finally stopped.

"No…" Batman whispered as he held Dick closer to his chest.

* * *

J'onn, Clark, Barry, and Augustus notified M'gann, Conner, Wally, and Raquel's school that they were being transferred to a different school. Aquaman told the Atlantians that his protégé was dead. Paula told everyone that Artemis had died in a car accident. Bruce had reported Dick as missing.

As their superhero identities, they announced that their partners were killed in action. They arranged for a memorial to be made outside of the Hall of Justice.

* * *

"_It's a sad day here in D.C., as we watch the funeral of eight young heroes. It was announced that Zatanna, Miss Martian, Superboy, Rocket, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Artemis, and Robin were killed in action a week ago. The cause of death for each of the teens has not been released, and it is highly unlikely that they ever will be._

"_The President of the United States has decided to make today Heroes Day, in which we remember the heroes, both in and out of costume, who have fallen to protect the innocent of this great nation."_

* * *

"_These eight teenagers gave their lives to stop some of the worst super villains on Earth. They've taken risks that not many are willing to take, spent time on things most find grueling, and pretty much gave their childhood to doing this. They were brave souls, each and every one of them, who I know would die again to protect each and every person on the planet. Most of these heroes only began a year ago, and they've accomplished so much. My partner… Superboy… he may have had an issue or two, but he had a great heart. He stood for the same principles I did- truth, justice, and the American way."_

"_Artemis, like Red Arrow, was a gifted archer. She could give her me a run for my money. She always did the right thing, even if it was so much easier to do the wrong thing. She, along with Robin, was the only one without powers on their team. Who said you needed powers to accomplish anything? Who said a superhero had to have super speed, or flight, or telepathy? Who said they had to be older than eighteen to make a difference? The team, as Superman said, made a difference in this world. They will be missed."_

"_Kid Flash was always ready for action. Hell, I can't remember a day when he wasn't ready to help out. The kid was almost always happy, with a spring in his step and possibly had ADHD. He, Robin, and Red Arrow, back when he was Speedy, were close. They pulled pranks, goofed off, you know, do what kids do when they aren't busy. It's gonna be hard, not seeing Kid Flash and looking out for whatever prank he planned. He will be missed."_

"_Rocket and I have not been here long, but I can see that we did change this world, even just a little. I must say, it will be strange not having her around. I loved her like she was my own child. I wish that I could have gotten to her sooner… maybe then, she and her friends would still be here. I wish that I could have taken her place."_

"_Zatanna was my daughter. Since her mother died, I had hoped to protect her, and prevent her from following in my footsteps. I was not able to prevent her from making the decision she made, and I was unable to protect her. I will never forget her as longs as I live, and I do not think I will ever get over this."_

"_Aqualad was a loyal warrior. He carried out whatever orders I gave him, and he did so with pride. I am happy to have known him, and to have been a mentor to him. The people of Atlantis will miss him greatly."_

"_Miss Martian was a kind soul, in spite of her childhood on Mars. She always dreamed of coming here to Earth, and I am happy that I gave her that chance. Though, in the beginning, she had trouble controlling her powers, she improved over time, and used her powers to help when she could have destroyed. I will never forget what she did for the people of this planet."_

"_Robin was only nine when he became my partner. We've had our differences, but no matter what, we've been partners. He always had a mischievous smirk on his face and every other sentence he spoke was either a quip or a terrible pun. He was reckless and a bit arrogant, but his heart was in the right place. He trained harder than any kid his age ever did. He was the kind of boy that would try to make friends with every person in the room. I had hoped that, when he'd grow out of the quips and puns and became his own man would be when out partnership would end, not his death. It won't feel right, not having him by my side."_

* * *

**-Four Years Later-**

Robin, Batgirl, Gar, La'gann, Jamie, Cassie, Mal, and Karen stood in front of the memorial of the original eight members of the Young Justice.

"Can't believe it's been four years." Batgirl whispered, "Time flies."

"Yeah." Robin said, "I still can't believe they died."

"Yeah. You'd think it wouldn't happen to them." Gar said.

"They died protecting the innocent." Karen said, "So, their deaths weren't in vain."

"I agree." Cassie said, "They knew that was the job."

"They worked hard, too." Mal said, "And now, maybe they'll get some peace in the afterlife."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, that was Zatara talking, not Fate. I didn't want to make this any longer than it was already, so let's just say that Zatara was given the chance to say something at the funeral.**

**I wanted to add something about Tim meeting Dick when he was still in the circus (not canon in YJ, I know, but it is canon in the Batman universe) and stuff, but I didn't...**

**I'd like to say that IDIDN'TLIKETHISSTUPIDENDING!**

**...Anyway! Next up is _Waking The Fallen_!**

**~FoREVer Nightwing**


	2. Waking the Fallen

**A/N: WOOT! FINALLY BACK FROM BAND CAMP! XD I had so many alerts in my e-mail, I think I died a little from happiness.**

**This is kind of a sequel to ****_Afterlife._**** I was reading "Blackest Night" again, and got the idea to do this. This one was inspired by ****_Waking the Fallen_**** by... well, just look at the summary. XD**

* * *

**Waking the Fallen**

To say the least, this was getting creepy.

Nobody knew why or how superheroes and super villains were resurrected. At the time, nobody cared. What mattered was that the world had many of its heroes once again. Not all of them were brought back, though… the original Question, Elongated Man, and Osiris, among others, were not returned to this world.

As with the Justice League, some of the original Young Justice was brought back. Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, Kid Flash, and Rocket had returned from beyond the grave, but Robin, Zatanna, and Aqualad had not. It was disappointing, to say the least, but they then thought that maybe, just maybe, they were finally at peace.

Then things started to get weird.

It was Heroes Day, and the team went to the memorial in front of the Hall of Justice. The memorial was slightly weathered, but other than that, it looked the same it did when it was first built.

"I can't believe we're back." Artemis said.

"Yeah… I can't believe Robin wasn't brought back with us, same with Zatanna and Kaldur. Why couldn't we all have come back together?" Wally sighed.

"I don't know." M'gann said, "Maybe they had passed on."

"I know Robin wouldn't. He'd haunt the criminals from the afterlife."

Before anyone could reply to that, the sky went dark suddenly. They could tell something was off.

"That's not weird at all." Batgirl said sarcastically.

"Ertaw nrut ot a nogard!"

The pool of water behind the memorial rose and began to take the form of a dragon. The dragon let out an eardrum-shattering roar before charging at the teens.

Panicked civilians were running around, trying to get away from the hall, so they didn't notice Raquel conjuring a shield around the teens.

"What's going on?" she asked, struggling to keep the shield up.

"I… I don't know!" Wally said.

"Oh my God…" Robin said, "Look up!"

Up in the air was Zatanna… but she didn't look like herself. She looked slightly older. Her flesh was somewhat rotted and exposed some of her bones, which were starting to turn black. Her costume was ripped here and there, and on her chest was a strange symbol.

"I can sense your fear. In fact, I can see it. I see fear, hope, will… even a little compassion." Zatanna said.

"Zatanna… what's happened to you?" Artemis asked.

"I have power, Artemis, immense power." Zatanna said, "And I'm not the only one with this power."

Aqualad jumped out of the pool. Like Zatanna, he looked slightly older, but a few of his bones were exposed, his costume torn, and the same strange symbol on his belt.

Cackling echoed through the air as Robin jumped down from the Hall of Justice. The Boy Wonder they once knew was taller; his costume ripped here and there, exposing flesh and blackened bones, his cape in tatters, and the strange symbol where the 'R' insignia would be.

"Aqualad… Robin…" M'gann said.

"It has been far too long, my friends." Aqualad said.

"Pretender." Robin hissed, glaring at the new Robin, "I see Batman found a replacement for me."

Zatanna sneered, "We aren't the only ones like this. Our army consists of millions. We are the Black Lantern Corps."

"Black Lanterns?" Conner asked.

"Yes. We represent death and destruction. You are meant to join us as well." Aqualad said.

"Robin, Rocket, Lagoon Boy, you take these guys as far away from here as possible." Batgirl said, "We'll get the civilians to safety."

* * *

While their bodies fought outside, their minds were trying to figure out what was happening.

"_No! Don't attack them! They're friends!"_

Zatanna wasn't sure what was happening. She didn't remember having a black ring around her finger. She only remembered darkness before waking in the graveyard. She remembered hearing a voice.

**Zatanna Zatara of Earth… Rise.**

She could see Robin and Aqualad. They, too, wore the same black rings with the same symbol. Robin was attacking a boy with jet-black hair with a staff. Aqualad attacked a fish-like teen.

"Zee! Stop it! We're your friends, girl!" Rocket yelled.

"_What's happening? Why can't I stop attacking?"_ Zatanna asked. She wanted to stop, but she couldn't. It was like she was being controlled.

"_Please… stop…"_

* * *

Aqualad was attacking one of his friends from Atlantis. Why? He wasn't sure, and the only thing he remembered was a voice.

**Kaldur'ahm of Earth… Rise.**

"Neptune's beard!" La'gann said, dodging another attack.

"_La'gann is my friend. Why are we fighting?"_

He could see Robin and Zatanna fighting with Rocket and a boy he didn't know. They looked different than they did when they died, and they had the same ring that he wore.

"_I cannot stop. Why?"_

* * *

Dick remembered dying in Batman's arms four years ago. So, why he's fighting the newest Robin, he didn't know. He only remembered a voice.

**Richard Grayson of Earth… Rise.**

The boy he was fighting looked familiar. It was hard to tell with the sunglasses he wore.

"Robin… Dick! Stop! It's me! Tim!" He said.

"_Tim? Wait… Tim Drake? The kid I met at the circus the same night my parents died?"_

He remembered a kid, no more than five or six, coming up to him with his parents. His mother and father asked if he could take a picture with their son, which he accepted. He even said that he'd dedicate their performance to him.

"_Goddamn it… stop!"_

* * *

"I don't know what's going on… but it appears that dead superhero and villain who died within the last few years are coming back as Black Lanterns." Green Lantern said.

"Is there a way to stop it?" Superman asked.

"Right now, I don't know. John and Guy went to Oa to see if there's anything we can do."

"Meanwhile, we've got Zatanna, Aqualad, Robin, Osiris, Question, Elongated Man, Black Mask, Reverse Flash, and Captain Boomerang, along with other Black Lanterns attacking cities around the world." Batman said, "We better find the solution before things get out of hand."

"Question is… how are we going to stop them? Some of these Black Lanterns are people we love." Wonder Woman said.

"Yes… all the more reason to end this quickly."

* * *

Rocket was trying to hold back. Part of her kept saying that this was Zatanna, her teammate, her friend… but another part told her to finish this, saying that Zatanna wouldn't do this.

God, she felt conflicted. She just hated that.

Rocket conjured a bubble around Zatanna.

"Zatanna, you've gotta be in there somewhere…" Rocket said to herself.

Zatanna was firing off spells, but they didn't break the bubble.

"I will take it from here."

Rocket looked over her shoulder and saw Doctor Fate.

"Go. Now." He said.

Rocket hesitated, then nodded. It was for the best. Besides, she wasn't sure if she could keep going much longer.

* * *

To say the least, La'gann was starting to get frustrated.

Kaldur was a good friend of his who died years ago. Now, he was possessed by some black ring and is now beating the shit out of him.

He dodged yet another attack from Kaldur, thinking about what would happen next.

Would he be forced to kill his friend?

Would he die?

As if on cue, Aquaman was seen running up to Kaldur from behind. La'gann didn't acknowledge his presence, as he did not want to make Kaldur aware of the kind.

Aquaman kicked his former protégé's leg, causing him to fall.

"I am sorry that I did not arrive sooner." Aquaman said to La'gann, "I am here now. We need to end this."

* * *

Tim was defiantly on his last legs.

He had seen Dick Grayson in action, both in the circus and as Robin. He knew every one of his moves by heart, memorized every case that involved the original Boy Wonder, and he even looked through his files on the Batcomputer.

He had always dreamed of getting the chance to meet his hero once again, maybe learn a thing or two from the first juvenile superhero. He just never thought he'd be fighting the corpse of Dick Grayson.

"You're just a pretender!" Dick cackled, "You're no better than the other one. I'm surprised you haven't gotten yourself killed yet."

This couldn't be Dick talking. Dick would never say this kind of thing.

"Dick, stop! I want to help!" Tim yelled, dodging another attack.

Dick ignored him and continued attacking.

He knocked Tim to the ground and pulled out a rusty bat-a-rang.

"I'm going to enjoy this." He said.

Before he had the chance to use the weapon, a bat-a-rang flew out and knocked it out of his hand. Dick growled before looking in the direction the bat-a-rang came from.

"Hehe… long time, no see, Bats."

Batman didn't reply. He just looked at Tim, who nodded.

_It's time to end this._

_Yeah…_

* * *

"Batgirl? Will you please stop pacing, it's driving me nuts."

"Oh… sorry." Batgirl sighed.

"Look, I know you and Dick were close, but this is the only way to stop them… in all honesty, it's for his own good." Wonder Woman said.

"Yeah, maybe, but I can't help thinking there's something we can do."

"I think there is." John said, "I spoke with the Guardians. I believe we found a better solution to this problem."

* * *

_This plan better work, John._

Barbara had contacted Batman shortly after he retreated with Tim. She told him about what Green Lantern told her, and believed it was a better option than the one the Justice League had already planned on using against their former comrades.

He wanted to help his son. He wanted that second chance to save him before it was too late. He didn't want things to end up like they did last time.

Bruce could feel Tim staring at him. He hasn't told the boy what he was planning on doing yet. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if the kid already knew. After all, Tim deduced the identities of the Dynamic Duo long ago.

"There's something you're not telling me." He said.

"…John may have found an alternative plan to defeating the Black Lanterns." Batman said.

"Really? What is it?"

"John, Hal, and Guy are working on getting all the Lantern Corps to work together on this. According to the Guardians…"

* * *

The Green Lanterns had managed to get the other Lantern Corps to agree to a temporary truce. Some, like Sinestro and Atrocitus, did not agree right away, while others, like Saint Walker and Indigo-1, agreed almost immediately.

"Are you sure this will work?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." Guy said, "It's worth a shot, though."

"I do not believe that a member from each Corps is enough." Ganthet said. The Guardian used his power to duplicate the rings of the seven lanterns. The duplicates went to find the ones worthy enough to use them.

The Star Sapphire's ring went to Miss Martian, the Red Lantern ring to Superboy, the Orange Lantern ring to Kid Flash, the Indigo Tribe ring to Artemis, the Sinestro Corps ring to Robin, and the Green Lantern ring to Ganthet. The Blue Lantern ring left the Watchtower.

"Where's that ring going?" Kid Flash asked.

"It's finding the one worthy enough to use it." Ganthet said.

"Should we follow it?" Robin asked.

Ganthet didn't have a chance to answer. The teens left to follow the ring.

* * *

The teens had no trouble keeping up with the Blue Lantern ring with the ability to fly. Now, they just had to worry about who was getting the ring.

They followed the ring into D.C.

The ring went to the original Robin, who was in the middle of destroying the Hall of Justice.

"What the-?" he growled.

**Connection broken.**

The Black Lantern ring fell to the ground as the Blue Lantern ring replaced it.

The Boy Wonder's outfit was no longer tattered, his flesh was back to normal, and his bones were no longer exposed. The red of his outfit was replaced by blue, and the Blue Lantern emblem took the place of the Black Lantern emblem.

"Okay… what just happened?" he asked.

Rather than receiving an answer, he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug from Miss Martian.

"Robin! It's so great to see you alive again!" Miss Martian said.

"Great… but I… can't… breathe…"

"Oh! Sorry!" she said, letting the teen go.

"That's fine… it's good to be alive again." He said. He turned his attention to the newest Robin.

"So… you're Batman's newest partner." He said, "Look… about what I said…"

"I know that wasn't you. You're not the kind of person who'd say something like that." Robin said, "But, if you want me to stop being Robin-"

"No. I've had my time."

"If you're finished with the catching up, we should probably go back to the Watchtower." Superboy said.

* * *

"Interesting… it seems that it's possible for the connection to be broken if a Black Lantern proves to be worthy of one of the seven Lantern Corps." Ganthet said.

"Does this mean you're going to make more duplicates?" Artemis asked.

"No. The duplicates will only become weaker and weaker. We need to find the Entity to win this war."

"Entity?" Superboy asked.

"The living embodiment of white light. It represents life. It's somewhere here on Earth." Ganthet said.

"So, it'll help us stop the Black Lanterns without killing them?" Batman asked.

"Yes."

"Then let's find this Entity." Batgirl said.

* * *

**A/N: THAT'S IT. NO FOLLOW-UP TO THIS CHAPTER. Even if I did do one, it'd be pretty much the same ending, except it's Young Justice.**

**Next up is Sidewinder.**


End file.
